The US abortion debate: Both sides speak

Media captionJeanne Mancini organises March for Life, a major anti-abortion rally in the US

She and Iowa Democrats have suggested the bill is intentionally unconstitutional.

If Ms Reynolds signs the bill into law, it will likely be challenged in court for possibly violating Roe v Wade, the US Supreme Court ruling that legalised abortion in 1973.

The ruling states some women have a right to terminate pregnancies until a foetus is viable.

Isn't that a problem for the bill's supporters?

No, in fact some Republican lawmakers welcomed the challenge.

"I would love for the United States Supreme Court to look at this bill and have this as a vehicle to overturn Roe v. Wade," Republican Senator Jake Chapman said.

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Media captionThe Pink House: The last abortion clinic in Mississippi

A string of US states have enacted abortion bans or stringent restrictions over recent decades only to have them overturned by the courts, prompting some conservatives to take aim at the landmark ruling.

"We created an opportunity to take a run at Roe v Wade," Republican state Senator Rick Bertrand acknowledged.